Crime of the Week

Beginning February 16, 2015, Crime Stoppers of Lufkin's Crime of the Week case will also appear on the Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers website. At www.DETCS.tipsyou will find information concerning crimes and wanted persons from Angelina and surrounding counties.

Crime Stoppers programs are private, non-profit organizations that assist law enforcement but are not part of law enforcement. As long as the tipster uses the published Crime Stoppers tipline telephone number, website address, or text message instructions, neither Crime Stoppers nor any law enforcement officer/investigator will know the tipster’s identity. Anonymity is not Crime Stoppers’ promise -- it is the law. In Texas, a person, including a law enforcement officer, may commit a crime if they intentionally or knowingly divulge the identity of a Crime Stoppers Tipster. To further ensure a tipster’s identity is never known, Crime Stoppers pays rewards only for anonymous tips; tipsters who identify themselves are not eligible for payment.

Tips are accepted regarding any crime or wanted person, whether publicized by Crime Stoppers or not. In-progress crimes and emergencies should be reported to law enforcement (dial 9-1-1 for emergencies).

3/30/2015 - Counterfeiter

SOLVED

Numerous tipsters identified the same person as
the suspect in this case. The investigators responsible for the case
is working to verify the suspect`s identity and obtain a warrant for her arrest.

When
multiple tipsters provide the same information, and the Crime Stoppers
Board of Directors authorizes a reward, the reward is paid to the first,
most accurate tip received. The Board will determine which tip that is
once an arrest is made.

Investigators are looking for a woman who passed counterfeit money at a store on Highway 103 East in Angelina County. The image included her shows the white female suspect in the act of passing the fake money.

Although criminals can produce authentic-looking counterfeit bills, if you know the signs, fake US currency is still easy to spot.

Features of genuine Federal Reserve Notes issued since 1996 include special paper embedded with red and blue fibers, a large, off-center portrait, a watermark that is visible from either side of the bill, and an embedded polyester strip inscribed with the denomination of the bill. At www.newmoney.gov, you can find information concerning the features of genuine Federal Reserve Notes online. If you doubt that a bill is genuine, contact your bank or local law enforcement agency.

Converting fake money to genuine currency is the goal of most persons passing counterfeit money. One simple way to achieve their goal is to purchase items of little value and “pay” with a larger-than-necessary bill, such as using a counterfeit $20, $50, or $100 bill to pay for a few dollars’ worth of merchandise. If not caught by the store employee, the counterfeit bill can make its way to another customer.

Numerous tipsters identified Carlos Josue Chavez as
the suspect in this case. The investigators responsible for the case
verified the suspect`s identity and obtained warrants for his arrest. Chavez was arrested March 27, 2015.

When
multiple tipsters provide the same information, and the Crime Stoppers
Board of Directors authorizes a reward, the reward is paid to the first,
most accurate tip received. The Board will determine which tip that is
once an arrest is made.

Employees of a Lufkin Mall store reported that twice in January an unidentified man created his own inventory reduction sale. The terms of the sale were simple; everything that fit in his bags was free.

The criminal is a white or Hispanic male with dark hair and a goatee. The first day of his 100% off sale, he wore a dark blue polo-style shirt over a long-sleeve white shirt, blue jeans, and a Dallas Cowboys star logo hat. When he returned two days later he was wearing tan cargo-pocket shorts and a white American Eagle branded hoodie with grey sleeves.

Employees recognized the thief during his second trip through the store but it was too late and he walked out of the store with bags overloaded with stolen merchandise.

Video from both days show that the thief entered the store with nearly empty shopping bags from another store and then stuffed them full of whatever he liked. He took polo-style shirts, t-shirts, boxer shorts, and women’s Christmas-print panties.

During the early evening hours of March 03, 2015, an unidentified criminal, or criminals, burglarized at least four vehicles parked in the Deer Trace subdivision in Diboll. The vehicles’ owners had attended a gathering at a residence located near the intersection Deer Trace Boulevard and Red Bud Avenue, and all the vehicles were unattended from 6:30 to 9:00 PM.

The vehicles were locked but valuables left inside were visible from outside and the criminal(s) forced entry by breaking a window on each vehicle. The victims’ purses were stolen along with prescription medications, money, credit cards, identification, telephones, and other personal property.

Two people reported seeing a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood around 7:30 the evening these burglaries occurred. Both described the vehicle as a light-colored four-door card, possibly white or beige, and said it drove through the small neighborhood at least six times.

Included here are photographs of the damage caused to the victims’ vehicles.

Other vehicle burglaries occurred in the East Texas area the same night as the burglaries described here. Some vehicles were left unlocked and others had their windows broken but the crimes might have been prevented by removing the valuables from the vehicles AND locking the vehicles’ doors. Making your vehicle, your home, and yourself a harder target for criminals can reduce your likelihood of being a victim.

If you can solve these crimes, call Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS, click the “Solve this Crime” link below, or text keyword 639TIPS and your tip information to CRIMES -- numerically, CRIMES is 274637. All calls and tips are anonymous and Crime Stoppers may pay a reward if the information you provide leads to an arrest.

February 27, 2015, two men driving a Nissan Altima worked together to steal cash from a car lot on Atkinson Drive in Lufkin.

Around 3:40 that Friday afternoon, the suspects parked their dark red, four-door 2013 or newer Altima on the side of the car lot’s office and one of the men asked the lone employee to show him a vehicle. That suspect, a black male wearing tennis shoes, baggy jeans, a gray t-shirt over a white long-sleeve shirt, and a red baseball cap, picked a vehicle in the far corner of the lot and led the employee to it.

When the employee left the office, another suspect ran from the Altima and entered the building. The second suspect, also a black male, wore white tennis shoes, baggy jeans, a white shirt under a reddish jacket, and a red, floppy-brim hat.

Videos show that the suspects likely used mobile phones to coordinate their movements. When the second suspect left the building, several thousand dollars was missing from cash boxes, and the first suspect no longer had interest in the vehicle for sale.

Included here are portions of the car lot videos showing both suspects and their vehicle.

If you can identify either of these suspects, or provide information that will help solve this crime, call Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS, click the “Solve this Crime” link below, or text keyword 639TIPS and your tip information to CRIMES -- numerically, CRIMES is 274637. All calls and tips are anonymous and Crime Stoppers may pay a reward if the information you provide leads to an arrest.

Law enforcement officers in Angelina County and Gregg County are looking for DANA MICHELLE CARTER, a 44-year-old white female with black hair and brown eyes, who stands approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs approximately 130 pounds.

As of March 02, 2015, Carter is wanted in for Probation warrants in Angelina County and Gregg County and investigators believe she is living in or around Lufkin. According to jail records, Carter has been arrested several times for Theft- and Fraud-related offenses.

Investigators have information indicating that Carter previously lived on Oakwood Drive in Lufkin and on Lotus Lane in Lufkin but her present whereabouts are not known to law enforcement. The image of Carter shown here was captured December 2012.

The listed warrant information was correct and current when published but may no longer be current or correct when read. Warrants and charges must be verified before arrest. NEVER attempt to apprehend any suspect yourself; doing so may be dangerous and Crime Stoppers will not pay a reward to anyone involved in such action.

If you know the current location of DANA MICHELLE CARTER, or if you can provide information that might lead to her arrest, call Deep East Texas Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS, click the “Solve this Crime” link below, or text keyword 639TIPS and your tip information to CRIMES -- numerically, CRIMES is 274637. All calls and tips are anonymous and Crime Stoppers may pay a reward if the information you provide leads to Carter’s arrest.

At 10:00 PM February 10, a man approached a convenience store on
South First Street in Lufkin. Investigators
believe he intended to rob the store but he left when he found it was closed. Twenty minutes later, the same suspect showed
up at a store on South John Redditt Drive in Lufkin. That store was open and the suspect did rob
the clerk, getting away with money from two cash registers.

Witnesses described the suspect as a white male with a mustache
and goatee, and said he kept his right hand in his hoodie pocket holding on to what
appeared to be a handgun. The suspect’s hoodie
was a dark color, possibly black, and has the words “Old Navy Athletics
Department” across its front. The
witnesses said the suspect’s vehicle is a small, four-door car, gray or silver
in color, with plastic covering a passenger side window.

The suspect’s face is not visible in the videos from either store
but portions of the videos from both stores are included here.

If you can identify this criminal or provide information that will
help solve this crime and prevent future robberies, call Crime
Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS, click the “Solve this Crime” link below, or text keyword
639TIPS and your tip information to CRIMES -- numerically, CRIMES is 274637.
All calls and tips are anonymous and Crime Stoppers may pay a reward if
the information you provide leads to an arrest related to this crime.

UPDATED FEBRUARY 25, 2015: Charles Lee Evans, Jr. is in law enforcement custody in Angelina County, Texas.February 25, 2015, Charles Lee Evans Jr. was arrested in Angelina County on two felony probation warrants related to his June 2006 arrest and conviction for Theft of property valued at more than $1,500 but less than $20,000 and his January 2010 arrest and conviction for the offense of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. According to Angelina County Jail records, Evans has been arrested for felony Theft, Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, Credit Card or Debit Card Abuse, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Charles Evans Jr. is a 34-year-old white male who stands 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds. The image included here, showing Evans with a short-cut hair and a bushy goatee, was taken following a July 2014 arrest.

The listed warrant information was correct and current when published but may no longer be current or correct when read. Warrants and charges must be verified before arrest. NEVER attempt to apprehend any suspect yourself; doing so may be dangerous and Crime Stoppers will not pay a reward to anyone involved in such action.

This suspect(s) has been arrested but
Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest
or grand jury indictment of a felony offender. If you can provide
information about a felony crime or a wanted felon, call Crime Stoppers at
(936) 639-TIPS or submit a tip at www.DETCS.tips. ALL CRIME
STOPPERS CALLS AND TIPS ARE ANONYMOUS.

Tuesday, February 03, 2015, Crockett Police Department Detectives sought, and a judge issued, warrants for the arrest of Skyler William Maynard, a 27-year-old white male with ties to Alto and Corpus Christi. Information received from the public helped identify Maynard as the suspect in the January 31 theft of a rifle from Walmart, and allowed the Detectives to obtain warrants for the offenses of Theft of a Firearm a State Jail Felony and for Felon in Possession of a Firearm which is a Third Degree Felony. Mynard was taken into in custody in Nueces County and has additional charges filed by Corpus Christi Police Department.

Just before 9:00 PM Saturday, January 31, 2015, Crockett Police Department officers were alerted to the theft of a rifle from Walmart, located on Loop 304 in Crockett.

Responding officers found that the thief is an unidentified white male who was wearing a red shirt, dark colored jacket, blue jean pants, a baseball cap, and brown boots. Security cameras show that the suspect entered the store around 8:45 PM and made his way to the sporting goods department. Once there, he made several passes through the area and appeared to be checking for store employees or witnesses.

After determining that no one was around, the suspect went behind the sales counter and attempted to open the display case containing rifles but when the doors failed to open, he broke the display case glass.

With the glass shattered, the suspect took a Bushmaster brand AR-15 rifle and fled the building through a fire exit door. Outside, he ran to a late-model Ford Crown Victoria, grey- or silver-in-color, and left the area.

Magazines and ammunition for the rifle were not taken during this crime but officers caution that the suspect might possess either or both items.

The attached images show the suspect as he entered the store immediately before stealing the rifle.

This suspect has been arrested but Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest or grand jury indictment of a felony offender. If you can provide information about a felony crime or a wanted felon, call Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS or submit a tip at www.LufkinCrimeStoppers.com. ALL CRIME STOPPERS CALLS AND TIPS ARE ANONYMOUS.

January 17th, cameras inside Fuel City, located in the 1900 block of East Denman Avenue in Lufkin, captured video of a dark-haired man carefully selecting several leather vests from a display rack and then walking out of the store without paying. A customer witnessed the crime and notified employees but the suspect had already reached his vehicle and left the area before anyone could stop him.

This case shares several similarities with another theft from two days earlier when a male suspect stole a leather jacket but video of that crime is not available.

In both crimes, the suspect is male, stole leather clothing from Fuel City, and fled the scene in a minivan. Witnesses to the first theft described the suspect as a slender man, approximately six feet tall, with blond hair, and fuzzy facial hair. The video of the second theft shows a tall, slim, dark-haired man wearing a dark jacket and pants, and what might be slide-style sandals and white socks.

The image included here was pulled from video of the second theft. Below, you can view portions of the video.

If you can identify either of the thieves or provide information that will help solve these crimes, call Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS or click the “Solve this Crime” link below to submit a tip. All calls and tips are anonymous and Crime Stoppers may pay a reward if the information you provide leads to an arrest related to these crimes.

UPDATED JANUARY 27, 2015: Terry Lee Shepherd is in law enforcement custody in San Jacinto County, Texas.

Terry Lee Shepherd is wanted on felony probation warrants related to his 2011 and
2013 arrests and convictions for Manufacturing or Delivering a Controlled
Substance in a Drug Free Zone. According
to Angelina County Jail records, Shepherd’s prior arrests include charges of
Family Violence Assault, Possession of Marijuana, Evading Arrest, Resisting
Arrest, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Shepherd is a 29-year-old black male who stands 6 feet tall and weighs
approximately 160 pounds. The image
included here shows Terry Shepherd with unkempt hair, a goatee beard, and a
mustache; the photo was taken in July of 2013 and his appearance might have
changed.

Law enforcement officers know that Shepherd has family members
living in Lufkin but attempts to apprehend him have been unsuccessful.

The listed warrant
information was correct and current when published but may no longer be current
or correct when read. Warrants and
charges must be verified before arrest.
NEVER attempt to apprehend any suspect yourself; doing so may be
dangerous and Crime Stoppers will not pay a reward to anyone involved in such
action.

This suspect(s) has been arrested but
Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest
or grand jury indictment of a felony offender. If you can provide
information about a felony crime or a wanted felon, call Crime Stoppers at
(936) 639-TIPS or submit a tip at www.LufkinCrimeStoppers.com. ALL CRIME
STOPPERS CALLS AND TIPS ARE ANONYMOUS.